HOUSTON – UPDATE: One person is charged with two counts of kidnapping and tampering with a corpse after a body, believed to be Heidi Broussard was found in the Houston area, investigators confirmed during a press conference Friday afternoon.
Investigators said they recovered an infant who was in good health, and are waiting for DNA test results to positively identify the child and the deceased woman.
Police would not confirm the name of the person in custody at this time.
KVUE reporter Tony Plohetski, citing a source close to the investigation, tweeted early Friday that the person who was arrested is a Houston woman who is a “close friend” of Broussard.
An update from Plohetski says sources with law enforcement believe the woman had been plotting to take the baby and that murder charges are expected.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that the woman’s name is Magen Rose Fieramusca. Harris County jail records reviewed by KSAT show Fieramusca was booked on Friday on multiple driving-related charges.
BREAKING: Houston woman, “close friend” of Heidi Broussard, charged with kidnapping and evidence tampering (thread).
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) December 20, 2019
Her bond is set at $600,000, according to KVUE.
ORIGINAL: A body found at a home near Jersey Village Thursday is believed to belong to a woman who disappeared along with her newborn in Austin, and at least one person is in custody.
Heidi Broussard’s body was likely found inside a trunk of a car at the residence, her mother Tammy Broussard told NBCNews. Her baby was found alive inside the home.
Heidi Broussard and her one-month-old daughter Margot Carey disappeared on Dec. 12, according to the Austin Police Department.
KSAT’s sister station KPRC was on scene Thursday night as FBI agents, Texas Rangers and Austin police officers surrounded the home in Jersey Village, near Houston.
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KPRC reported the baby was found inside the home with “no obvious injuries or problems," according to Child Protective Services.
She was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Houston’s KTRK is reporting at least one person is in custody.
The TV station reported authorities were investigating the Nissan parked in a driveway in the back of the home.
Heidi Broussard, 33, and Carey were last seen dropping off a child at Cowan Elementary School in Austin at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, APD stated.
They are believed to have returned to their home in Austin before disappearing.
Austin police later Tweeted out a surveillance photo of the mother at the school.
Attached is an updated photo of Heidi Broussard from Dec. 12, 2019 at 7:50 a.m. at Cowan Elementary. The clothing pictured is what she is believed to have been wearing when she was last seen. Anyone with information about her and Margot is asked to call 911 immediately. https://t.co/bvpNxAqX7i pic.twitter.com/KS0aMJSbAg
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) December 13, 2019
Shane Carey, Heidi Broussard’s husband, told KVUE in Austin earlier this week that there were “no signs of struggle” at their home.
“We’re all stumped because everything’s over here – the car’s over here,” Carey told KVUE. “There’s no signs of struggle. There’s nothing, no evidence, so we’re just trying to piece it together but there really are no pieces.”
They had been a couple for nearly a decade, KVUE reported.
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APD established a dedicated tip line for this case. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 512-974-5100.